Edina Library Records

Edina Library was first housed out of Linden Hills School beginning in 1921, predating the Hennepin County Library system. In the following decades, the library operated out of various locations in the community. In 1926, the library relocated to 50th and Wooddale, and in 1928, moved to the Westgate Theater building in the Morningside neighborhood. This move allowed Edina to have its first free-standing public library, and it became known as the Edina Morningside Branch library, which closed in 1976. Its first permanent location opened in 1955 on West 50th Street, the former residence of Edina pioneer James A. Bull (later the home of D.W. Wallace). The space was considered quite small by the standards of the American Library Association. As a result, the League of Women Voters began campaigning in 1962 for a larger library for Edina. In 1967, following considerable preparation, plans were announced to build on 50th Street and Eden Avenue. The building, known as the Edina Community Library, opened in September 1968 at 4701 West 50th Street next to the Village Hall. Construction costs totaled $410,000, with 15,500 square feet of floor space. The space was designed by Arthur Dickey, an Edina resident, and included a reading room for adults, a children’s room, a drive-up service window, and a multi-purpose room. Art reproductions, displayed near the entry vestibule, were available for checkout by patrons. Edina was the first branch library in the Hennepin County Library system to loan art prints. When the current library opened in April 2002, Edina razed the old library to make way for a new city hall and policy department.